* Our film festival awards over $50,000 in prizes annually.
* Our Gala and SF3 Kids Screenings will be held at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday Nov 1st and our Mini & Feature Film Screening will be at another cool venue in Sydney TBA.
* One of the leading, most prestigious and biggest smartphone film festivals in the world.
* Festival Ambassadors include Phillip Noyce, Kriv Stenders, Kerry Armstrong, Nicole da Silva, Christopher Stollery, Pieter de Vries, Garry Maddox, Anthony Kierann and Emily Prior.
* Selected films will screen at our live festival in Sydney, Australia in November, 2026.

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SF3 - the SmartFone Flick Fest is Australia’s international smartphone film festival and one of the leading and most innovative film festivals in the world.

Open to filmmakers of all ages from every country; from first-time filmmakers to professionals and from kids, tweens and teens all the way to adults. As long as your film is shot entirely on a smartphone or tablet, your film is eligible for submission. Our Festival Ambassadors are Hollywood legend Phillip Noyce, Kerry Armstrong, Christopher Stollery, Kriv Stenders, Nicole da Silva, Jason van Genderen, Anthony Kierann, SMH Journalist Garry Maddox, Pieter de Vries and disability advocate Emily Prior. Our esteemed judging panel consists of the cream of the Australian, African and Hollywood film industries all here to celebrate mobile and tablet filmmaking.

We have 5 categories in 2026. They are:

1. The SF3 Best Film for short films 20 mins and under. The films must be entirely shot on smartphones or tablets, with the exception that a very minimal amount of Drone footage is allowed and archival footage is also allowed if necessary to the story. The films can be edited on any device and with any program and external equipment like lenses and mics can be used. Within this category we will also award The Blackmagic Camera Award for films shot using the Blackmagic Cam App, the #FILMBREAKER Award for first-time filmmakers and the Luma Touch Finished on Mobile Award for films that are both shot and edited on a mobile device as additional prizes to our Best Film, Best Director, etc. awards. The Official Selection from this category will be screened in our 2025 Gala Finals and will vie for our top festival prizes.

2. The SF3 Best Feature Film. This is for feature films shot entirely on smartphones and tablets. A minimal amount of drone footage and archival footage is allowed. Films must be a minimum of 30 mins with no maximum.

3. The SF3 Kids Award for filmmakers 18 and under at the time of filming. All films must be shot entirely on smartphones and tablets. A minimal amount of drone footage and archival footage is allowed. The time limit is up to 10 mins. Longer kids film that are really fantastic and justify being longer will be accepted with permission from us at sf3@sf3.com.au

4. The SF3 AI Award for AI made films up to 20 mins. These films must be created on a mobile device using AI and can be any genre or topic. These films must be written by a writer, only made using AI.

5. The SF3 Mini Mobile Award is for films up to a maximum of 3 minutes in length, in any genre. The theme for our SF3 Mini 2026 is SEE. Use this as your starting point or your inspiration and interpret as you like, even as loose as you need, this is just a prompt for inspiration.

Everyone has a great idea for a short film and a potential movie camera in their pocket, so no excuses. Here’s your chance to start filming and be in the running to share in over $50,000 worth of prizes awarded annually, and have your film screened on one of Australia's premiere screens in front of a global audience at our live fetsival happening in Sydney, Australia in early 2027.

Our finalist films and winning feature film/s will be selected from all the entries to screen at SF3 2026 Our festival will include live screenings, red-carpet events, award ceremonies, VIP party, networking events, panel discussions and masterclasses. The amount of films chosen to screen varies each season but our live screening s will feature the best short films across our categories plus we will screen the best 1 to 3 feature films live and all other feature film finalists at our SF3 Online Festival. A selection will also be made for some of our favourite entries to screen at our SF3 & MINA Film Festival in Melbourne, Australia in October/November, 2026. These films will be our Highly-Commended Selection.

We are passionate advocates for the showcasing of the best smartphone films from all around the world, shown up on Sydney's top big screens.

Many of our past Gala and other finalist films have been invited to screen around the world at our partner film festivals including the International Mobil Film Festival in San Diego, MINA, the Dublin Smartphone Film Festival and more. The opportunities are endless for cellphone filmmakers and past entries have even been sold to streaming networks and in-flight entertainment channels.

All films MUST be shot entirely on a smartphone or tablet (their are a few exceptions if you read our T&Cs), meet our time requirements and you can use any editing software, apps and phone additions, and you can edit on a PC, laptop, tablet or your phone. To enter SF3 you can shoot on any mobile device: iPhone, iPad, Samsung, Oppo, Huawei, Google Pixel, Tablet or more.

So, pull your phone out of your pocket and start filming, it really is that easy!

Awards & Prizes

SF3 film festival is proud to award over $50,000 worth of prizes from our amazing sponsors including prize packs from our our Major Sponsors - Blackmagic Design, Silver partners Melodie, Try & Byte and Luma Touch, our Bronze Partners - Chicken & Chips Casting, Rubber Monkey & Røde and prize partners Shotlister, NIDA, Ink Tip, WriterDuet, the Australian Cinematographer's Society, Screen Producers Australia, the Australian Writer's Guild, The Australian Director's Guild, iPitch TV, Ribbet, AFI/AACTA, Backstage, Australian Guild of Screen Composers, Star Now, Film Local, Ironbark Digital, ACTS, WIFT NSW, Song Saga, the Australian Guild of Screen Composers, Reeflex, Trenear Printing, True Take & many leading industry mentorships.

Prizes awarded: We have 36 awards at SF3. Here is the breakdown of awards across each screening each with a prize pack from our sponsors. Annually we give away over $50,000 worth of prizes from our generous partners including Da Vinci Resolve Speed Editors and Colour Panel from Blackmagic Design, Luma Touch apps, memberships, apps, lenses, microphones, classes, mentorships and soo much more.

THE SF3 GALA AWARDS celebrating the best in smartphone filmmaking:

SF3 Best Film Award
SF3 People’s Choice Award
SF3 Best Director Award
SF3 Best Cinematography Award
SF3 & ACS Best Cinematography Runner-Up Award
SF3 Best Screenplay Award
SF3 Best Documentary Award
SF3 Best Editing Award
SF3 Best Original Score Award
SF3 Best Actress Award
SF3 Best Actor Award
SF3 & Luma Touch Finished on Mobile Award (for films both shot and edited on a mobile device)
SF3 & Blackmagic Camera Award (for a film shot using the Blackmagic Cam App)
SF3 & WIFT NSW Best Female Creative Award
SF3 First Nations Award supported by Dolby (for films made by a filmmaker that identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander)
SF3 Community & Diversity Award (for a film that is either shot by or that is about and features stories, creatives, filmmakers and actors from under-represented communities such as the LGBTQIA+ community, First Nations, Indigenous and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander filmmakers and more.)
SF3 Founders’ Flick Pick
#FILMBREAKER Award (for the most promising first-time and/or emerging filmmaker)
SF3 Chicken & Chips Casting Award
SF3 Gala Finalists

SF3 KIDS celebrating the best mobile and tablet filmmaking by children, tweens and teens

SF3 Kids Best Film Award High School
SF3 Kids Best Film Award Primary School
SF3 Kids Blackmagic Cam Best Film Award High School
SF3 Kids Blackmagic Cam Best Film Award Primary School
SF3 Kids Best Director Award
SF3 Kids Best Cinematography Award
SF3 Kids Best Screenplay Award
SF3 Kids Best Editing Award
SF3 Kids Best Documentary Award
SF3 Kids Best Actor Award
SF3 Kids Best Actress Award
SF3 Kids Finalists

SF3 MINI Mobile Award for micro films 3 mins or less shot on cellphones

SF3 Mini Best International Film
SF3 Mini Best Australian Film
SF3 Mini Highly-Commended Awards x4
SF3 Mini Finalists

SF3 FEATURE FILM for smartphone feature films

SF3 Best Feature Film Award
SF3 Feature Film Finalists

SF3 & MINA Film Festival Official Selection Films and SF3 Highly-Commended Award

SF3 Best AI Film

Rules & Terms

Our SF3 film festival rules are simple:
1. Your film must be shot entirely on a smartphone or tablet. The only exception is we will allow a small amount of drone or archival footage. The amount is discretionary but must be an insignificant amount of your film and used only sparingly.
2. Films for the SF3 Gala Finals Official Selection must be no longer than 20 minutes including titles and credits. There is no minimum time limit. Films for the SF3 Mini Mobile Category must be a max of 3 minutes. SF3 Kids has a 10 minute time limit. There are no minimum time limits.
3. Films for our feature film category must be a minimum of 30 minutes in length, no maximum time limit.
4. If your film is between 20-30 minutes them please write to us at sf3@sf3.com.au to discuss how you can enter and still screen at SF3 as we have screened films of this length in the past.
5. SF3 accepts any and all genres except X Rated films and graphic violence.
6. All scripts and ideas must be your original material.
7. Copyright material can only be used if you have written permission to do so, and we can ask at anytime to see this permission.
8. You can use any software or apps to edit your video and audio, and can edit on any device.
9. You can use any software for colour correction or special effects.
10. You can use external microphones, lenses, lighting, tripods, etc.
11. Your film must meet all the terms and conditions of the festival to be eligible.
12. The judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding film selections and prize winners.
13. SF3 Kids Category and Competition is for Australian and International filmmakers aged 18 years and under at the time of filming. This award is designed to nurture kids, tweens and teenage filmmakers. A kids film for the purposes of SF3 is a film who's director and/or screenwriter are 18 years or under at the time of filming. All other roles on the film, including the DOP and actors and editors may include people of all ages, however, the film must be the idea of a filmmaker 18 years and under and all concepts of editing, camera angles and all other relevant artistic choices must be primarily decided upon by the filmmaker 18 years and under who enters the film. SF3 Kids films must be a max of 10 minutes in length however there is room for longer films if they are of an exceptional standard and you can write to us at sf3@sf3.com.au to discuss this.
14. SF3 is open to filmmakers from every country.
15. Films will be accepted from filmmakers of every age.
16. The SF3 WIFT NSW Award for Best Female Creative is for the best female creative, decided by our judges, who worked on one of our Official Selection films in a crew capacity, not limited to the producer, writer, DP, etc. The director of each film will be asked to nominate an outstanding female that worked on their film, and this can include themselves.
17. The SF3 Community Award is for a film which showcases stories, actors and/or people that are under-represented on our screens and showcases them in a moving, positive, or special way. This will be decided by our judging panel. People from CALD backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ filmmakers, First Nations and Indigenous Creatives, people living with a disability and female filmmakers are encouraged to enter.
18. The Luma Touch Finished on Mobile Award is for a smartphone film that must be both completely shot and edited on a smartphone or tablet only. You may use any editing program, but you must show us evidence that it was edited on a device; evidence includes screenshots of you editing or a short BTS of you editing the film.
19. To be eligible for the SF3 Best Feature Film Award, your film must be a Sydney public premiere, but it is allowed to have screened in other cities and countries. It is not allowed to have screened online.
20. Archival footage may be used in a very minimal amount to add context or needed substance to your film.
21. The SF3 First Nations Award is open to filmmakers who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander or Indigenous from around the world.
22. For the #FILMBREAKER Award, this must be your first film you've ever made or the first film that has had a public screening as we are celebrating first-time and emerging filmmakers shooting on a cellphone with this award.
23. You can shoot your film using any mobile device including iPad, iPhone, Oppo, Samsung, Huawei, Nokia, Sony, Google, any other tablet or more.
24. The AI award is for films made using AI. It must be written by a writer and made using AI.
25. The SF3 & Blackmagic Camera Award (for a film shot using the Blackmagic Camera App) is a film up to 20 minutes for our Gala Awards Category or up to 10 minutes for our SF3 Kids Awards that is shot on a smartphone in the Blackmagic Camera App. You can edit this film on any device and with any software and it is also eligible for all of our Gala Awards or SF3 Kids Awards. NB: We have three prizes in this category - one of our Gala and two in our Kids Category (for a Primary School and a High School Film).

Check out our site for full T&C's and to ask any questions - www.sf3.com.au
83 Reviews
Overall Rating
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  • Steven Caldwell

    We had an incredible time at SF3 this year (2026)! Angela and the team are supportive and encouraging of all the filmmakers which contributes greatly to an amazing festival experience. We won Best Australian Mini Runner-Up which was a real added bonus to an already very memorable event.

    May 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Steven, THANKYOU! Loved having you at our fest this past January. Your series blew us away from our first watch and meeting you and screening your episode live was seriously amazing. Can't wait to have you back.

  • Tatjana Marjanovic

    This was my first time applying to SF3 and I was so taken by how warm, encouraging and wonderful the entire process was. Angela is incredible and will stop at nothing to make sure each filmmaker gets the most out of the entire festival experience. Her passion is contagious. This festival loves films and loves film creators and I will be entering again.

    February 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Tatjana, you were a shining star at SF3 this season. Thank you for your amazing work on and off the screen and people are still raving about your tennis film. Audience fav!

  • Philippe Klaus

    SF3 is genuinely driven by a love for filmmakers. It manages to attract first timers as well as veterans at the top of their game, and Angela and her team went above and beyond in terms of their support; they secured the Sydney opera house as a venue, got me exposure on SBS, organised networking events and helped out with DCPs. It may seem a small extra thing, but I also found it telling that they limited speeches as much as possible to screen as many films as they could. It shows where their values lie.

    Angela is that rare person who networks with complete ease and sincerity, helping filmmakers connect and snagging very high calibre judges (I would say that because we won four awards, but still.) I am very proud that SF3 was my first festival, and I will always be grateful to them for taking a chance on me and my film.

    February 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Philippe, wow. Thank you. What an honour. We LOVED having you and your team at SF3 at the Sydney Opera House and we can't wait to see your next film.

  • Francisco Bassignana

    Was a dream to be select and after awarded in this festival.We know the amazing reputation about the SF3 as Smartphone festival.We are proud and honored to collaborate with them.

    February 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Francisco, thank you. You made an absolutely stellar film and we are very proud to have you in the SF3 family now. Cannot wait to see what you do next with the smartphone and look forward to having you back at SF3.

  • Thomas Finch

    SF3 is an incredibly important and worthwhile festival for smartphone filmmakers. Its programming, sponsors, and the calibre of the work selected are all first-rate. Attending this festival was such a personal and professional highlight. I look forward to attending again.

    February 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thomas, thank you. We loved having you here in Sydney at SF3 and your film is still being talked about by everyone here. Thank you and hope to have you back many many times.